Saturday night (last night as I write this) was the first concert of the new season of the Kansas City Symphony. Once again, my mom (Judi) and I are season ticket subscribers and we have the same seats at Helzberg Hall (Lower Grand Tier Left Row AAA Seats 515 and 516). I love the side view from these seats. The sound is still excellent, but we get to see the expressions of the conductor more than if we were in the center of the Hall.
Fall is here. My kids have both returned to college....the house is very quiet again. My wife is back to work (she's a 5th grade teacher). Kids everywhere are back to school. Football season is here, and baseball is getting close to postseason play. The weather is still warm, but the days are shorter and the light from the sun is beginning to move farther away from us."But the days grow short when you reach September." - September Song
I was really looking forward to the start of the new symphony season. With all of the changes happening around me, I have been feeling a bit blue lately. These regular doses of live music mean so much to me. The chance to spend time with my family on these occasions is equally special. I usually go with my mom to 3-4 of the concerts, she takes her sister to one, and I take Cheryl to the others. In addition, there are usually 3-4 concerts that are not in our series that I want to see every season, so we pick up tickets at the box office for these additional performances. These outings bring us together and surround us with the great music and people all year long.
Frank Byrne, the Executive Director of the KC Symphony, started things off by welcoming us all back for the new season. This is Mr. Byrne's last season as Executive Director, a position he has held since 2002. He announced his retirement in May and he will be truly missed. Under his leadership, the Kansas City Symphony has established itself as one of the most financially sound and artistically gifted orchestras in the nation. I have always appreciated the sincerity and warmth he brings to his pre-concert announcements, as well as his infectious passion and enthusiasm for the music and the musicians of this orchestra. I think I can speak for everyone in the audience when I say, he makes us feel at home in Helzberg Hall.
Saturday's performance began with a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. (Neither my mom nor I took a knee...nor did any of the musicians or audience members in case you were wondering.) We all stood proudly.
Maestro Stern then made his entrance and he too took a moment to welcome us back for the new season. He has such a great rapport with the audience and he makes it feel like he truly cares about each one of us. He also has a wonderful sense of humor.
Maestro Stern explained the thoughts behind the programming of this concert. Dancing is the central theme...Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Aaron Jay Kernis' New Era Dance, and Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C major (the final movement is a polonaise based on a Polish dance.)
I had never heard the New Era Dance, so I was looking forward to it. At only six minute long, it is a furiously paced, almost helter skelter rhythmic extravaganza. Tons of percussion, sirens, whistles and musicians chanting are just a few of the many elements in this piece. This got the concert off to a very fun start.
Next on the program was the Beethoven Triple Concerto. I must confess that I had not heard this piece until the day before when I listened to it for the first time at home. Former concertmaster of the KC Symphony, Noah Geller, was joined by our current Principal cellist, Mark Gibbs, and pianist Sean Chen, as the soloists. As soon as the downbeat was given, they were off and running with unbridled enthusiasm. Geller was dancing as he played, Gibbs, though seated, was swinging and swaying, and Chen was also bopping about on his piano bench. Logistically speaking, this seems like a difficult piece to pull off. When there is only one soloist, balance and coordination between the orchestra and soloist can be very challenging. But with three soloists, it must be three times as hard. Stern had his work cut out for him, especially with his back to the three soloists. Chen also had his back to Gibbs and Geller, and he was frequently stealing glances behind him to make sure they were still there...which they were. Each soloist displayed technical mastery of their respective instrument. Geller and Chen also had outstanding intonation and tone. There is a "pocket" that musicians have to find with respect to tempo when they play together. It is not a rigid metronomic absolute...there is a bit of wiggle room that allows the musicians to gel..they can push the temp together or they can pull it back if they want. So long as they stay together, the music will work. These three guys found the pocket and the orchestra did not get in their way, which is their job.I felt like the tempi in the Beethoven were really a lot of fun.
The orchestra played with light touches...it was not too heavy nor ponderous. And the overall balance was just right.
Following the Beethoven, the three soloists played a very jazzy piece as an encore. I could not hear Sean Chen's announcement of the piece they were playing...so I don't know what it is, but it had a jazzy-ragtime feel to it. Very fun. Very danceable.
Intermission at Helzberg Hall is also a special part of the evening. There are bars all throughout the place stocked with beer, wine, cocktails as well as coffee and cookies. Our usual treat is a cold glass of wine. Cheers.
We talked about the first half of the program and enjoyed people watching while we sipped our wine. The audience at these concerts is very eclectic. One sees people of all ages, styles and backgrounds. I am especially happy to see so many young people coming to these concerts. They are critical for the future support of the performing arts in this, and all communities.
Before the second half started, Maestro Stern once again took the microphone and spent a few moments welcoming the newest members of the orchestra. He made a funny comment about how Noah Geller "used" to be his friend...alluding to Geller's departure to the Seattle Symphony after a long run as our concertmaster. I'm sure it is bittersweet to say good-bye to such a good friend and colleague...and after delivering this funny zinger, he made the comment that once you are in the family, you will always be in the family. This really stuck with me. Over the years, Stern has often referred to the musicians of the KCS in terms of family. It comes across in a very genuine way...and even those of us in the audience have this feeling. Week after week, year after year, we attend these concerts and become familiar with the musicians. We feel like we know them to some degree, and develop a real sense of appreciation and admiration for their art.
Another question I did have...my mom and I both noticed this....Maestro Stern made a funny point of needing his glasses to read the list of new musicians this year. But he does not use glasses to see the tiny print of the score while he conducts. What's up with that?
Rachmaninoff would have been pleased by this performance of his Symphonic Dances. First off, he was a genius to include a saxophone in the orchestration. The smooth, velvety tone of the sax in the opening movement is irresistible. I only wish it was used in more than the first movement!
Each section played great in my opinion. Our trumpet section has a very polished, bright tone. They look so calm back there but when they play, the sound shoots out from the stage like a tonal-laser. The horns are so solid. They are the backbone of any orchestra. Our horn section can do the heavy lifting needed, but they are also capable of great touch and tone. The rest of the brass section and our new tuba player are rock-freaking solid.
Woodwinds? Check. Go down the list and you won't find any weakness. Strings? Lush. They would make Nelson Riddle and Gustav Mahler proud. Percussion? We have that too...covered like a blanket.
I am not an expert, and perhaps there were kinks in this opening performance. Just watching the opening week of college and NFL football, you can see it takes time for teams to get into a rhythm. But I did not detect that in the KCS performance this weekend. Entrances and attacks were sharp. Intonation and tone were excellent. Tempi were solid. It seemed to me like they are already in mid-season form. I can't wait for the next concert.
Rachmaninoff made six concert appearances in Kansas City between 1920 and 1938. I wrote about this a few years ago. In case you have not seen it, here is the link.
http://timhazlett.blogspot.com/2014/11/sergei-rachmaninoff-in-kansas-city-and.html
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